Senate bill could be key for Shoshone County

BOISE — An ongoing issue in the Silver Valley has also been a hot topic at the state level as a new bill surrounding the idea of shared ambulance districts across county boundaries will make its way to the Senate floor after the Local Government and Taxation committee voted to approve it earlier this month.

The bill (Senate Bill 1332) was sponsored by Sen. Carl Crabtree (R-Grangeville), and could be an answer to the issue of the current operation model for ambulance services provided in Shoshone County and portions of Kootenai County.

In its current form, the bulk of local ambulance services are carried out through a series of service agreements between Shoshone County, the EMS Corp, Shoshone County Fire District No. 1, Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 and neighboring counties.

According to Crabtree, his bill would help solve problems common in rural, remote ambulance districts.

Idaho law mandates that county commissioners also regulate that county’s ambulance district, and since commissioners have no authority outside their own counties, it becomes difficult to provide ambulance services that cross county lines and that taxes for that service can become “unworkable” and confusing,

Crabtree’s proposal would allow counties the option of forming their own ambulance districts across county lines, similar to the code currently used for fire districts in Idaho.

The concept gives local control, which is something that is already in place in Shoshone County.

Funding for the local ambulance service is mixed and includes billing of ambulatory services, patient transports and transfers; grants; and county supplemental funding.

Right now the county currently levies $86,000 to support the current system, but believes that $130,000 is probably the amount they need to look at to maintain their current operations and levels of service.

According to Idaho code, to create a taxing district, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) would need to see a signed petition with a certain number of signatures and then it would need to be discussed publicly before a decision could be made.

That specific ordinance states that the creation can only occur in an underserved area and the floor for the amount levied from the community begins at .02%, which in Shoshone County right now would total in at $217,000.

If commissioners approve the plan, district residents would then vote on formation of the new district.

Cities within the district boundaries would also have to pass a resolution in support for the proposal to succeed.

The taxing district would also include the addition of a new board, who would have the sole responsibility of governing the district, as well as creating the taxing district within the new ambulance district.

“Although no determination has been made, current discussions between the Board of County Commissioners, fire districts and EMS Corporation have a favorable light on transitioning to an ambulance district for the Silver Valley,” BOCC Chairman Mike Fitzgerald said. “Such a move would provide an Ambulance District Board of Commissioners the sole responsibility balancing the community’s desired level of ambulatory service with the amount of money the community is willing to pay for the service.”

The current EMS Corp was formed in 2012 to fill a vital gap in ambulance services due to the retirement of the area’s longtime provider.

Under the current structure and service agreement with the county, the EMS Corp maintains the mandatory certifications necessary to operate ambulance services and performs administrative and fiscal duties, such as billings, collections, record keeping, ambulance personnel training, medical supply purchasing and vehicle maintenance.

The EMS Corp has two full-time employees.

Through service agreements with the EMS Corp, the two local fire districts provide ambulance response and EMT care, patient transport, and, in certain cases, patient transfers.

The fire districts are independent of the EMS Corp and each department has their own chief, who are in-charge of their respective districts, staff and volunteers.

The Shoshone County BOCC will be meeting with the EMS Corp on Wednesday, March 4, to continue discussions surrounding the issue.

The News-Press will continue to follow any upcoming meetings as a resolution is sought.